Tobacco gum or retainer



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

T. H. BETTY. TUBA-UGO GUM 0R RETAINER.

No. 586,414. Patented July 13,1897.

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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

T. H. BETTY. TOBACCO GUM on RETAINER.

No. 586,414. Patented July 13,1897.

IIHIIIIIHIII a JZZZomry UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS H. BETTY, OF MANCHESTER, VIRGINIA.

TOBACCO GUM OR RETAINER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,414, dated July 13, 1897.

Application filed October 30, 1896.

T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. BETTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manchester, in the county of Ghesterfield and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco Gums or Retainers; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to the class of receptacles employed in the manufacture of plugtobacco known as gums or retainers, and adapted to receive the lumps or rectangular cakes after they are taken from the press and maintain them against expansion until they become set and ready to be packed in boxes for the market.

The general purpose of my invention is to increase the efiiciency of these retainers and to provide an improved construction by means of which the packing of the lumps is facilitated and their effective compression during the setting process insured.

The novel features of my invention will be fully disclosed in the following description and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tobacco-retainer embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the retainer in open position. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the vertical bars for securing the retainer longitudinally, and Figs. at and 5 are detail views of the devices for securing the two hinged sections of the retainer together.

The retainer is of rectangular form and consists of the hinged sections A and B. The section A comprises a side 1 and a front portion 2, while the section B consists of a side board 3, a back at, and a bottom 5, secured to or integral with the side 3 and back 4.

The two sections A and B are hinged together by means of encompassing bands 0, preferably two in number, arranged one above and the other below the vertical center of the structure. Each of these bands comprises two right-angular sections 6 and 7,

Serial No. 610,601. (No model.)

hinged together at the point 8, one end of the angular band 6 having perforated ears 9, between which is secured a perforated lug 10, projecting from the adjacent end of the bandsection 7, by means of a pivot-bolt 11 and nut 12. The band sections 6 are secured by screws 13 or other fastening devices to the section A of the retainer, and the band-sections 7 are secured by similar means to the corresponding retainer-section B.

A distinguishing characteristic feature of my improvement is found in the fact that by combining the bottom 5 of the gum or retainer with the back and one of the sides thereof a right-angular compartment 14 is provided within which snugly fit the squared or evened edges of the sides of the lumps, thus greatly facilitating the packing of the retainer.

The free end of each of the band-sections 6 is provided with a horizontally-slotted head 15, having inclined or beveled shoulders 16 on its outer face.

The forward end of each of the band-sections 7 is recessed to form a socket 17 ,Within which is secured one end of a threaded adjustable bar or bolt 18 by means of a nut 19. These bars or bolts are squared in cross-section to prevent their turning within the slots of the heads 15, within which they rest when the retainer is closed. The inner walls 20 of the sockets 17 are inclined or beveled to per mit the required horizontal movement of the bars 18, and the-outer walls of said sockets are formed with openings 21 for the same purpose.

To the outer end of each of the bolts or bars 18 is pivotally secured a lever 22, provided with a cam-head 23, horizontally slotted to form ears 24. The outer ends 25 of the bolts 18 are pivotally secured between the ears 21 of the levers by pivot-bolts 26.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the bolts 18 are adapted to serve as locking-couplings when the hinged sections A and B are closed together and said bolts restin the slots formed in the heads of the band-sections 6. By turning the cam-levers 22 into contact with the beveled shoulders 16 the band-sections are firmly locked together, thus securing the sections A and B in closed position.

The outer surfaces of the sides 1 and 3 are formed with parallel vertical recesses or grooves 27 toreceive metallic bars 28. These bars are bent at right angles at their lower ends to fit into recesses 29 and 30, formed, respectively, in the lower edge of the sides 1 and 3 and in the bottom 5. The upper ends of the bars 28. project above the top edge of the sides 1 and 3 and are provided with vertically-elongated slots 31 to receive the ends of the headed locking-keys 32, which are held in place removably by wedges 33 after a top or suitable cover for the retainer is in place.

The operation and utility of the retainer as above described will be readily understood by those skilled in the manufacture and handling of plug-tobacco, and may be summarized as follows: The lumps or cakes when taken from the tobacco-press are of just the propersize to snugly fit the wooden packingboxes in which they are supplied to the trade. It is necessary, however, that the lumps be set or dried to prevent expansion, and for this purpose theyare packed in retainers. It will be obvious that my improved construction presents two right-angular sections, one provided with a bottom upon which the lumps may be conveniently packed. After the retainer is filled with layers of lumps or cakes the two sections A and B are brought together and firmly secured by the bolts and cam-levers described.

It will be obvious that the bolts 18, when the retainer is in closed position, are diagonally opposite the hinges of the sections A and B, thus bracing the retainer diagonally.

After filling the retainer the lumps usually project slightly above the top edge thereof and are compressed by submitting them to the action of a press until they are sufficiently below the top edge of the retainer to permit the application of a suitable cover. after which the latter is firmlyheld in place by the keys 32 and wedges 33.

It will be apparent that the coupling bars or bolts 18 are readily adjustable by manipulating the nuts arranged on their threaded ends.

I preferably form the clamping-band sections 6 and 7 with longitudinal projecting strengthening ribs, but said ribs may of course be omitted, and various other modifications in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invent-ion, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tobacco gum or retainer, two rightangular sections A, B, hinged together, the inner side face of section A (when the gum or retainer is closed), resting against the vertical edge of the back portion of section B, and the vertical edge of the front portion of section A resting against the inner side face of section B, in combination with a bottom secured to one of said sections, a removable top, and lockin g mechanism, comprising rigid right-angular interlocking members, one of said members having a slotted head, and the other member provided with a coupling bar or bolt adapted to pass in the slotted head, and a cam-lever secured to one end of the bar or bolt for securing the sections together.

2. In a tobacco gum or retainer, the combination with two right-angular hinged sections, of means for securing said sections together, comprising rigid right-angular interlocking members, one of said members having a slotted head, while the otheris provided with a coupling bar or bolt, said bar or bolt being adapted to pass in the slotted head, and a cam-lever secured to one end of said bar or bolt.

3. In a tobacco gum or retainer, the comtions A, B, of a bottom secured to orintegral with section B, encompassingbands comprising rigid right-angular sections hinged to gether, and adjustable coupling bars or bolts, each bar or bolt being adapted to pass in the slotted head of one of the encompassing-band sections, and cam-levers secured to said bars or bolts at one end thereof for securing the band-section's together.

4. In a tobacco gum or retainer, the combination with two right-angular box-sections, of two rigid right-angular sectional bands hinged together and firmly secured to the box-sections, one of said right-angular bandsections having a slotted head provided with beveled shoulders, and the other band-section being recessed and provided with an ad- 'justably-secured cam-lever, adapted to engage the beveled shoulders of said slotted head.

5. In a tobacco gum or retainer, the combination with hinged right-angular box-sections, of means for securing said sections together, comprising interlocking members one of which is provided with a horizontally-slotted head having beveled shoulders, while the other member is recessed and provided with a cam-lever secured by a coupling bar or bolt.

6. The combination with the right-angular hinged sections, of aband-section 6 provided with a slotted head having a beveled shoulder-section 7, provided with a beveled socket, a coupling bar or bolt secured in said socket, and a cam-lever secured to said bar or bolt, and adapted to engage said slotted head.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. V

THOMAS. H. BETTY.

'Witnesses:

AUGUSTINE ROYALL, CLARENCE VADEN. 

